We have reached the three-quarter mark in the 2022-23 NBA season with just 24 or fewer games remaining in the schedule for all 30 teams. The MVP race continues to be a hot topic of conversation across the entire NBA community, with everyone weighing in on the highly polarizing topic. Some believe that a player who has been past the second round only once shouldn’t be up for a third straight MVP. Others believe that players having better offensive seasons with worse team records should be higher in most rankings.
- 10. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- 9. Damian Lillard
- 8. Ja Morant
- 7. Domantas Sabonis
- 6. James Harden
- 5. Luka Doncic
- 4. Jayson Tatum
- 3. Joel Embiid
- 2. Giannis Antetokounmpo
- 1. Nikola Jokic
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You already saw our in-depth comparison of the top five candidates just a few short weeks ago. Now that the All-Star break is over, the next month and a half will be the most grueling part of the NBA schedule as teams fight for position in their Conference standings. The Top Five has remained the same nearly all season in the MVP race but the order has not and we explain why in detail as we break down the top MVP candidates at this stage in the year. Get ready for some hot takes and the 10 most impactful players in the NBA thus far.
This is the 2022-23 NBA MVP race.
10. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
2022-23 Stats: 31.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 5.7 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1.1 BPG
One of the great stories of this 2022-23 season has been the emergence of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as a star in the NBA. He certainly entered his name into the Most Improved Player conversation, but that award is all but wrapped up by Utah’s Lauri Markkanen at this point. Still, Shai has been Oklahoma City’s number-one guy in 2022-23, especially after the loss of Chet Holmgren before the season started.
Gilgeous-Alexander is one of seven players at this point in the season, averaging at least 30.0 PPG. He has also added 5.7 APG, 1.6 SPG, and even 1.1 BPG through 54 games played. He has played eight games in the month of February and is averaging 31.5 PPG on 48.7% shooting overall and only 7.1% from three on less than 2.0 attempts. He has had two 40-point performances over that time as well as two other 30-point games to add to it. The Thunder went 4-4 during that stretch and now sit just one game behind New Orleans for the final play-in spot.
9. Damian Lillard
2022-23 Stats: 32.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 7.2 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.3 BPG
One year after missing most of the 2022 season due to an abdominal injury, Damian Lillard is back and back with a vengeance. Lillard started a bit slow this season but ever since January 1 hit, he has been on another plant. The Trail Blazers have struggled as has Lillard with injuries limiting him to 46 games so far but they are well within reach of the final play-in spot for a chance to reach the NBA playoffs. If Lillard has anything to say about it, they will be there in the end.
Lillard is currently averaging 31.4 PPG and shooting a career-high 46.7% overall from the field. He is shooting 37.1% from three on 11.2 attempts, the most attempts per game for his career from beyond the arc. Lillard has played eight games since February 1 and has led the Trail Blazers to a 4-4 record with 36.1 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 7.1 APGon 48.6% shooting from the field. Lillard seems to have returned to form, and the three-point shooting champion is gearing up for an incredible finish to the season in the Western Conference.
8. Ja Morant
2022-23 Stats: 27.0 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 8.1 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Over the last two seasons, Ja Morant has been one of the most exciting players in basketball. He has embraced the villain role with the Grizzlies this season and is thriving once again after many predicted a drop-off in production from him after a stellar 2022. The truth is, Morant got better, and the Memphis Grizzlies are in the hint for the Western Conference’s best record despite struggles, specifically on the road, as of late.
In the midst of his second All-Star season, Morant has the Grizzlies 36-23 through 59 games, five games behind Denver for first place. In eight games since February 1, Morant is averaging 25.6 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 7.6 APG on 45.2% shooting and just 30.8% from three. He is currently in the midst of a 4-5 start to the month for Memphis, which isn’t exactly how they want to finish the season. If Morant can get the team offense rolling once more, the Grizzlies could contend with the Nuggets for the number one spot.
7. Domantas Sabonis
2022-23 Stats: 18.7 PPG, 12.4 RPG, 6.9 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.4 BPG
Domantas Sabonis has been steadily in our MVP rankings over the past three times they have been released. Sabonis is enjoying one of his best seasons in his first full year with the Kings as they cruise toward the playoffs for the first time this decade and beyond. Sabonis, an All-Star this season, is leading the NBA in rebounds with 12.3 RPG and has added 18.8 PPG and a career-high 6.7 APG through 57 games played this season and with a thumb injury that he opted to not have surgery on at this point.
The last 10 games have been great for Sabonis, with a 6-4 record in favor of Sacramento. He has averaged 20.2 PPG, 12.1 RPG, 5.8 APG, and 1.5 SPG during this time and is shooting a tremendous 60.9% from the floor. The Kings are currently third in the West through 59 games and are just two games back of the Memphis Grizzlies for second in the West and two games up on Phoenix. Sabonis will not win the MVP this season but is certainly having a season worthy of discussion.
6. James Harden
2022-23 Stats: 21.6 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 10.7 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.6 BPG
James Harden makes his first appearance in our MVP rankings by making a serious late push since coming back from injury earlier in the year. Harden is leading the NBA in assists through 43 games played so far in 2022-23 and has really dipped into his playmaking bag far more than he ever has. He forms one of the best duos in basketball this season with Joel Embiid, and they have delivered a standout season so far in 2022-23.
Harden’s scoring has taken a dip ever since he left Houston, but his playmaking and even his defense have taken a massive step forward. He is still attempting 7.3 three-pointers on the season and knocking them down at 39.4%. His 21.6 PPG is his lowest since 2012, but he has made the necessary sacrifices in order to win. The Sixers are currently three games back of Milwaukee for second in the East and four games back of Boston for first. In his last 10 games, Harden is averaging 22.8 PPG and 9.6 APG, while the Sixers have gone 7-3 overall during that stretch.
5. Luka Doncic
2022-23 Stats: 33.2 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 8.2 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.5 BPG
Now we get to the five players that have been at the top of the MVP rankings for most of the season. First, we start with Dallas’ Luka Doncic at number five, who kept Dallas afloat all season long before they made a move to acquire Kyrie Irving from the Nets. Doncic has been a jack of all trades for Dallas this season as their best passer, playmaker, and scorer. He gets relief from Irving in all three of those departments, but it will also hurt him in the NBA race to have a teammate of that caliber.
As great as their lineup works with the addition of Irving, Doncic has still served as the main man for the Mavericks in their pursuit of another Western Conference Finals berth and beyond. In his last 10 games, Doncic has been brilliant, just as he has been all season as one of the top point guards in basketball. He has averaged 31.5 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 5.4 APG, while the Mavericks have gone 4-6 overall. The Mavericks are on their way to another playoff berth but need to get things together quickly to avoid falling into the play-in.
4. Jayson Tatum
2022-23 Stats: 30.4 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 4.6 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.8 BPG
Jayson Tatum has been a member of the Top Five for MVP for the totality of the 2022-23 season as well. Tatum is leading the best team in the NBA to a runaway for the Eastern Conference one seed and is doing so after an offseason of turmoil and uncertainty. Under head coach Joe Mazzulla, the Celtics have adjusted their vision and focus to one thing, an NBA championship. Anything less would be a massive failure at this point.
The reason for those lofty expectations is the superstar play of Jayson Tatum in 2022-023. He is averaging over 30.0 PPG on 46.1% shooting, the highest shooting percentage he has had since his rookie season. In his last eight games, the Celtics have gone 7-2, and he has averaged 27.9 PPG on 44.7% shooting from the field. The only reason he isn’t higher on our MVP list is Jaylen Brown, Tatum’s teammate, is also averaging over 25.0 PPG this season and has been tremendous alongside Tatum all year long.
3. Joel Embiid
2022-23 Stats: 33.1 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.1 SPG, 1.6 BPG
Joel Embiid has had the worst luck when it comes to the MVP over the last two seasons. In 2021, Embiid only missed out on the MVP due to an injury robbing him of a good chunk of the last part of the season. In 2022, despite a scoring title, Jokic had a historic season, the likes of which were among the most efficient in NBA history. In 2022-23, the story remains the same.
Embiid deserves as much credit as possible for the 76ers being just a few games out of the top spot in the East. He has been incredible on both sides of the ball all season long and is by far the most impactful center in the Eastern Conference. In his last 10 games, Embiid has averaged 31.2 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 1.1 SPG, and 1.5 BPG, while the Sixers went 7-3 over that stretch. Come playoff time, the duo of he and James Harden will be one to watch as they attempt to get to their first NBA Finals since 2001.
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo
2022-23 Stats: 31.3 PPG, 12.0 RPG, 5.4 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.8 BPG
The best player in the world continues to earn that moniker week after week during the 2022-23 season. Giannis has the Bucks in the midst of the longest winning streak this season at 14 games with no signs of slowing down even as he battles a knee injury. His impact on both ends of the floor is as good as it has ever been, and Milwaukee looks like it could be the class of the East if this continues this way.
Giannis has been banged up and bruised since right before the All-Star game and missed Sunday’s contest with a knee issue he suffered in his first game back from the break. In his last 13 games, the Bucks have gone undefeated, and Giannis has averaged 31.9 PPG and 12.2 RPG on 57.8% shooting. If Giannis can get and stay healthy, the Bucks are legitimate title contenders this year and should be considered so moving forward unanimously.
1. Nikola Jokic
2022-23 Stats: 24.8 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 10.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.7 BPG
Were you expecting somebody else? Nikola Jokic pretty much has this award wrapped up at this point with the way he has been playing for most of 2022-23. Even with the rumors of voter fatigue not allowing him to win a third MVP in a row, Jokic has been so brilliant that it cannot be argued at this point. The Nuggets have built a nice lead in the West as we head down the home stretch in the 2022-23 season. They sit five games over Memphis for first in the West and are headed to the first seed in the conference with ease.
Jokic is currently averaging a triple-double as a center. Now, averaging a triple-double for an entire season has only ever been done by Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook, which makes the accomplishment impressive already but as a near 7-footer playing center? Absolutely incredible. Over his last seven games, Jokic is averaging 22.3 PPG, 13.9 RPG, and 10.9 APG on 64.2% shooting from the floor. At this point in the season, the MVP is Jokic’s to lose and we just do not foresee that being an option with less than 25 games remaining.
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